1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to tooling plates having a T-Slot, as used in the machine tool industry and other industries, and more specifically, to an improved T-Nut for engaging with a T-Slot and a method for securing a form of tooling to a tooling plate using the improved T-Nut.
2. Description of Related Art
In the machine tool industry and in other industries, tooling plates that employ T-Slots are used to hold, including but not limited to, tooling, specialty tooling, metrology, and other similar devices, to the tooling plate. As used herein, the term “tooling” will be used to refer generally to devices which are held to a tooling plate, as described above. For many objects that need to be secured to the tooling plate, one method of engaging the T-Slot in the tooling plate is with a bolt that passes through the object and engages a T-Nut placed in the T-Slot of the tooling plate, whereby the bolt is tightened, drawing the T-Nut to bear against the T-Slot geometry and thus clamping the object to the tooling plate (Method 1). This method can only be used when the object being secured to the tooling plate has no internal components that will be interfered with by the clamping bolt passing through the object.
Another known method comprises using an outboard clamping assembly engaged with the T-Slot, similar to Method 1 described above, but instead using a clamping screw to bear down on an external flange at the periphery of the object (Method 2). This method can be used if the object to be clamped to the tooling plate has internal components that do not allow a bolt to pass through, such as a spindle or similar assembly—in which case a mounting foot can be made with a flange and the method can be employed. Method 2 almost always requires an increase in the footprint on which the object sits, thereby limiting the number of objects that can be held on to the tooling plate. One example would be an ultra-precision lathe for the manufacture of contact lenses and intra-ocular lenses.
Normally, the tooling plate is fully populated with stationary cutting tools that are held in tool holders that are held onto the tooling plate using Method 1, as described above. These tool holders sit side-by-side with minimal clearance between them on the tooling plate and carry different tooling for performing different cuts on the work piece. Additionally, metrology (devices for setting the tool height) and a device known as a Fast Tool Servo (FTS) may be attached to the same tooling plate. The FTS is, as described above, a device that cannot be held down on a tooling plate by Method 1 because the internal elements of the FTS would be interfered with by a clamping bolt passing therethrough. The FTS also cannot be held down by Method 2 because of the space constraints on the tooling plate.
Therefore, a need exists for a means to secure objects, such as an FTS, to a tooling plate that does not interfere with the internal components of the object and does not increase the footprint on which the object sits.